Sikh Community Announces £500m For Renovation of Pakistani Gurdwaras

In a positive response to opening of Kartarpur Corridor, a leading British-Sikh philanthropist has announced to commit £500 million for the Gurdwaras in Pakistan.

Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari the Chairman of the Pakistan Tourism Board and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan met Sikh community representatives at The Rembrandt Hotel in London on 10 June 2019. The meeting was to discuss religious tourism projects in Pakistan following the historic laying of foundation stones for the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor on either side of the border in November 2018.

Sayed Bukhari made a series of specific commitments regarding visas for religious reasons, including the possibility of visas online and visas on arrival. However, after being pushed on this issue during a question answer session he said he would ensure the establishment of tourism desks in Pakistani embassies and dedicated staff to facilitate visas for those taking part in Yatras in Pakistan later this year.

Speaking to media Virdee said: “Leading Sikh businesses, organisations, and Gurdwaras have discussed this and we have commitment of £500 million at this stage. Bukhari thanked the Sikh community for announcing the hefty financial commitment and promised that a number of measures would be taken to facilitate religious tourism to Pakistan.